new beginnings

resoluteness of character assists in the fairer sexes triumph over hardships

reckless dreaming across vast distance
induced in part by salt sun’s glare
hallucination some, some not
remembered vaguely 
his crooked fingers on her throat
no doubt the blood marks still embossed
her abalone’s knife so sharp
with it she opened up his chest
and dumped it over port side’s rail
all for love of yacht and him
his wit and charms and deceit
caused her atlantic’s devil ride
her separation, her homeland gone 
in ocean’s vastness thirst and pain
tested to the breaking point, until
ran aground her tiny bleeding craft
moses’ basket of styrofoam and fiberglass, 
against sharp reef and sand
she wakes her body cold, it shakes
the image of his form, his treachery
she ran into a cave and wept
scrawled her name and plight in charcoal black
“bethany stroud - lost”
then she added and crossed out:
his wretched name in hateful scrawl
used a stick burned long ago, 
handled by some unknown 
cried herself to sleep
then awoke still sparsely clothed
wet and cold, afraid
heard the echo of her own lost soul
wailing in this lost land
she cried again ’til tears no more
within the recesses of her mind she heard
outside the roar of surf and wind
made her cringe
bats flew past her head back in
to roost upside down above the floor
daylight pulled her back outside
to face her dreaded fear again
hunger gnawed her belly raw
the thought of him stuck in her craw
she’d rather die than go back in
left her imprints in the sand 
walking toward drier land
wind pushed behind her back
helped her glide back to attack
another day on strange land
she would overcome